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3/1/1982 - Babassú by Gary S. Hartshorn

WITHOUT WRITER S CONSENT INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS GSH Babass Apartado San Jos Costa Rica March Mr Peter B Martin Executive Director Institute Current World Affairs Wheelock House West Wheelock Street Hanover New Hampshire 03755 Dear Peter After return Bel Brazil Jari GSH Lynne I traveled Anthony Anderson drive Bacabl central Maranho state See Figure GSH I particularly interested learning about Anthony Suely research babass In central Maranho babass babag Portuguese dominates landscape primary source income rural Perhaps nowhere tropical America forest relationship direct central Maranho Scientifically known Orbignya 8peciosa Orbignya oleifera babassd cocosoid group palms relative coconut The genus Orna includes about species tropi America including West Indies The closely related genera Attalea Scheelea Parascheelea Maximiliana estimated additional species tropical America sometimes Orbignya occasionally difficult distinguish field Throughout their range Orbignya species important local source extracted seeds The shortening vegetable candles lubrication Vegetable babassd seeds excellent quality almost colorless easily rancid It similar coconut substitute source olein stearin Though babassd seeds contain seeds stitute fruit As often abundant palms local people other purposes The leaves commonly house thatch occasionally plaiting The large terminal meristem sheathed bases heart called cabbage palmito Green fruit previously smoking rubber quality charcoal endocarp enclosing seeds outer fibrous immature fruit substitute farinha starch staple prepared manioc tubers source tapioca Maranho state Institute Natural Resources reports immature seeds equivalent human substituted An alcoholic beverage fermented liquid fruit stalk Babassd especially abundant Maranho state where covers areas perhaps third B35 state Maranho state produced babass equivalent national Gary Hartshorn Forest Man Fellow writing relation forest resources tropical America production production level ranked babass first value among extracted plant materials above rubber Babassu major export Maranho national demand absorbs total production For rural people Maranho extraction babass seeds vegetable production source income Suely Anderson investigating socio economic babassd central Maranho trying determine effects industrial extraction operations Bacabl having rural people Anthony concentrating research ecology natural history babass Both Anthony Suely conducting research their doctoral degrees University Florida The babassd attractive smooth trunk diameter topped elegantly arched leaves Fig From fruits borne elongated pendant cluster weighs A robust adult babass produce fruits The elliptic fruit Fig across tains seeds superbly protected extremely thick endocarp coconut shell Mature fruits ground where Figure I Babass palms Bacabl Maranho Brazil The center cluster fruit hanging below leaves Brasi Min Rel Ext Brasilia Figure Opened babass fruits showing extremely endocarp color enclosing seeds uppermost split whitish endosperm years before endocarp decomposes sufficiently stimulate germi nation None native animals break babass endocarp seeds Ecologist Dan Janzen University Pennsylvania theorizes large fruits eaten extinct wooly mammoths giant ground sloths Plants babass evolved endocarp protect seeds during passage fruit through large herbi vores I carried dozen babass fruits Costa Rica Dan hardness force required break babassG endocarp Seeds eventually germinate remarkable strategy presumably protect seedling annual fires prevalent these seasonally ecological zones The germinating babassG translocates reserves stored endosperm The starch reserves produced leaves stored below ground where produce larger leaves trunk roots replace leaves consumed For several years remains grass stage while building trunk below ground When sufficient reserves accumulated final trunk diameter attained fully developed trunk emerges ground The nearly complement leaves produces sufficient quantities starch ermit trunk emerge fairly rapidly ground During transition below ground protection terminal getting trunk meters palms susceptible Tall palms virtually immune grass fires This remarkable capability withstand annual burning contributes abundance babass central Maranho We observed areas covered babass palms still grass stage Fig The trait trunk building below ground resistance fairly common among palms invade pastures Latin America Acrocom eastern Paraguay Acrocomia vinifera Pacific lowlands Central America Orbignya cohune northern Honduras Belize Yucatan peninsula Scheelea rostrata Costa Rica E1 General valley Scheelea Orbignya species Brazilian Shield eastern Bolivia GSH II Anthony discovery relatively undisturbed patch forest private ranch This remnant forest patch babass palms essentially babass regeneration forest Adjoining patch natural forest stand developed babass palms scattered trees Fig Anthony document forest cleared about years The evidence quite forest clearing permits babassd egenerate dramatically increase density Apparently regeneration babass palms comes abundance viable seeds accumulated several years forest The absence significant predation animals insects permits accumulation seeds Forest clearing burning appear stimulate germi nation spectacular density seedlings The density babassd palms natural forest indirectly related named Bacabl presumably named bacaba Oenocarpus bacaba Even though Anthony single acaba Bacabl seems unlikely founders would confused species The bacaba strikingly robust leaves length smaller fruits babass The dominance babass palms Maranhgo truly impressive Even babass palms extend horizon Apparently babass6 dominance Maranho confused Brazilian interpretors LANDSAT satellite images state In government study deforestation legal Amazonia comprising Maranho state though Amazon drainage system Amazonian portion Maranho reported deforested before Considering patch uncut forest drive Bel Bacab would acceptable government study reported Maranhgo state still natural forest The inescapable conclusion stands babass6 Maranho state terpreted natural hence excluded calculations forested Such errors interpretation prime sources growing discrepancies rates tropical deforestation GSH Manual extraction babass seeds almost exclusively rural women Though sometimes extract seeds field fruits commonly carried extraction We visited house where women intently slips physically costly efficiently extracting seeds under portico Fig To extract seeds woman upright handle fruit blade whacked short sturdy stick It takes three strikes initial break endocarp lighter extract elongated seeds The extracted seeds mddlemen centralized facilities pressing Figure Top Abundant babass palms pasture Bacabl Note numer young babass still grass stage uniformly leaves center right following pasture cutting burning The fairly uniform height adult babass background indicate these individuals their start cutting natural forest See further explanation ecology babass Figure Bottom Anthony Anderson nearly stand babass palms Bacab Anthony determined cleared natural forest about years Figure Manual extraction babass seeds Bacablo On blade upright handle fruit whacked short sturdy stick leaning against right Extracted seeds mulated basket lower woven babass leaves Two whole fruit babass processing plants opened Bacablo A later functioning plant buying whole fruit radius The tough endocarp reportedly causes frequent breakdowns cracker Industrial extraction seeds seriously depleting available fruits cottage extraction According UoS National Academy Science Underex ploited Tropical Plants Promising Economic Value cracking fruits accounts production babass vegetable Since extracted babass seeds primary often source income large proportion rural population Maranho switchover industrial extraction seeds serious economic reper cussions rural Local ranching practices complicating extraction babassd seeds Consolidation ranches forced rural along edges Some ranchers prohibit employees collect babassd fruits difficult trespassers cutting babassd palms swath along ranch borders In highly populated state Maranho where agriculture marginal natural resources demise extraction babass seeds devastate meager rural economy Without market extracted babass seeds rural alternative except migration urban Government interest legitimate rural development based babass could greatly benefit rural Maranhoo Sincerely GaryS artshorn Forest Man Fellow